Aaron's head snapped up. His gaze locked onto Reidar's position. He likely felt a mana fluctuation, and that was the reason he was able to pinpoint the Spriggans' position. There was no hesitation in his movements. No searching. He knew exactly where they were.

"Come out," Aaron said in a dispassionate and flat voice. "There's no point in hiding."

Before Reidar could respond, a lance of pure mana tore through the air. The outcropping exploded. Stone fragments scattered across the battlefield. Reidar grabbed Seraphine and pulled her back as their cover disintegrated.

As the Spriggans emerged from their hiding spots, they faced the reality that Aaron's attack had left them with only two options: surrender or die, though they had no intention of accepting either.

Reidar stepped forward, his boots crunching on the rubble as he moved into the open, while Seraphine, Matthias, John, and Kara followed close behind.

The War Hounds turned to face them, raising their weapons as fingers tightened around their hilts.

Although Reidar couldn't see the man's face when Aaron's hood shifted, he felt the weight of mana behind that stare. The two recognized each other.

"The world's small, isn't it? " Aaron said.

Reidar's jaw tightened. His hands curled into fists. "We both know this is no coincidence at all, Aaron."

"Still holding grudges?" Aaron stepped forward.

"Well, if you count on the fact that I brought you with me to level up, that I actually tried to help you guys only to be taken advantage of, and that after you and that bastard, Silas, almost killed me. I think I have enough reason to be mad at you, right, Aaron?"

Reidar felt a sharp spike of irritation as he watched the amusement dance in Aaron's eyes. It was maddening to hear the man speak so casually, his voice dripping with a lightness that belied the gravity of what he had done.

"I honestly thought you'd have grown past that by now," Aaron said, and Reidar could practically feel the condescension radiating off him.

"Moved on. It was just a small deception, after all." The words grated on Reidar's nerves; to him, there was nothing small about it, and Aaron's dismissal was making him mad.

The War Hounds shifted to create space around Aaron and slightly moved behind him. Because they knew it. They knew Reidar was dangerous, and although he was level 260 and clearly still bound by the system, he reached a level of power that no one else reached aside from those from the church. Aaron, stepping slightly forward, remained a chilling echo of Silas.

His hood had fallen back, revealing features that were decidedly not human. His skin held the same pale, ashen quality and unhealthy grey that seemed to adorn Silas.

From beneath a mess of dark hair, his ears tapered to fine points, just like Silas's had. When he met Reidar's gaze, his eyes were dark and unnervingly calm, holding intelligence that felt both bestial and smart, devoid of the system's constraints that the man had shown months earlier.

Judas stepped forward.

"Wait," Judas said. "Are you Reidar Miller? The one Aaron has been talking about?"

He looked at Aaron, and the hooded man nodded once.

"The very same," Aaron said. "Though I knew him when he was much weaker, despite not being less impressive. He's always been an idiot."

Judas's eyes widened as his gaze swept across the Spriggans. When he noted their levels: Level 130, Level 102, Level 118 and many more, all past level 100. His expression darkened as he understood what was going on.

"You had our same idea," Judas said, turning to Seraphine. "Power-leveling."

"Shut your mouth," Seraphine said, her hand moving to her bow.

Reidar narrowed his eyes as Aaron raised a hand to cut the tension. "Don't provoke them."

But as Reidar studied Aaron's face, a sense of unease tugged at him. Something was strange. To Reidar, it looked like Aaron was actively trying to avoid an open confrontation. <But why?> he wondered, unable to find the logic behind the man's restraint.

Judas laughed. "Why not? What can they do?"

"Stop talking," Aaron said. Watching him, Reidar recognized the change that went through Aaron. Since he broke free from the system, he'd grown arrogant, but Reidar saw in his eyes that he wasn't stupid despite that.

Aaron knew that fighting Reidar was a bad idea. The level disparity didn't mean much based on what Aaron knew Reidar could do.

But Judas didn't stop. His eyes locked onto Matthias, and recognition flared.

"I know you," Judas said. "You're the healer. The one with the crippled foot. I heard you have a wife. Judy, wasn't it? Is she still sleeping peacefully? "

Matthias's face went white, and his hand moved to the mana blade at his side.

The ground trembled first. A moment later, reality rippled, and the air grew heavy as space distorted around Reidar.

Through the tear in existence, the Twin Boulderbacks materialized, followed closely by the Skeletal Warriors.

A ghostly light filled the area as the Spectral Legion appeared, their blades gleaming, until finally, the Feral Packs and Shadow Guardians manifested.

A snarling wall of death and magic surged forward, closing in on the War Hounds.

Aaron's posture shifted as his casual confidence vanished. "You goddamn fool," he hissed at Judas. "You provoked him."

Judas stumbled back as his arrogance crumbled, and fear replaced it. "You're here to protect us! You are stronger than him!"

"I am stronger," Aaron said, his hands rising as power gathered around him. "But what good is strength against numbers?" He gestured at Reidar's summons. "He has maybe two hundred creatures, all of them at Level 260. A small army. You think that's not a problem for someone at level 297?"

"Just kill them!" Judas shouted.

"You idiot!"

Pouring from the clouds by the thousands, ravens darkened the sky as their wings blotted out the sun.

Bursting from thin air, bears erupted from the ground alongside panthers and wolves, creating an overwhelming darkness.

Surrounding the War Hounds, the army of tens of thousands tightened its grip, every Level 262 creature answering solely to Reidar's will.

The Feral Packs Reidar had kept active through Unsleeping Sentinels were just the beginning because his trait, Skill Sharing, activated.

Summon Feral Pack, the only summoning skill he could currently share, became available to every summoned creature capable of using it.

The Rift-Sprites summoned more packs, the Shadow Guardians did the same, and the Spectral Legion did the same. It was exponential growth, a geometric progression that created an army that multiplied itself with every passing second.

Aaron stared at the horde as his hood fell back. His face was visible now, revealing pale, sharp features and eyes that had seen too much and were perhaps seeing too much even now.

"Fighting this," Aaron said, "will be difficult. Even for me."

Reidar stood at the center of his army, his face cold and empty. His voice carried across the ruins.

"You made a mistake."

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